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First, some background. In late 2008, wife Barb and
I decided that we would try raising and showing chihuahuas as our new,
later-in-life hobby. I had a chihuahua as a kid. And Barb fell in love with the
breed when we rescued a former puppy-mill chihuahua, Maya, a few years
earlier. In order to get started, we needed to acquire an AKC-registered puppy
to train, and eventually put in the show ring. Barb would be the
trainer/handler. I would provide support.
As we started looking for a chihuahua breeder, we were initially
interested in a female puppy. We found that acquiring one wasn't as easy as we
thought. Show-quality females are not only more expensive, but for many reasons, including they can
produce litters of other potential champions, breeders are reluctant to let them go. Barb finally identified a breeder in
western Iowa who had a few smooth-coat puppies remaining from a litter that she was
willing to sell...both males. We decided to make a road trip.
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During our "get acquainted" look-see, Gayle let us view
the dogs she had as we sat in her kitchen. The little guys in question were
playing in the next room. The puppy she called Nicolay was brought
into the kitchen. Barb was mostly convinced that Nicolay was going to come home
with us. As I remember, I needed a little more convincing. Gayle placed the
tiny guy on my lap and somehow he immediately stretched out to lick my face as
if to say, "You are my human mister, and I want to go home with
you." Well, that did it. At that moment Barb and I looked at each other
and knew Nicolay was going to be our first show dog. We had both quickly gotten over the female-only desire. We weren't big fans of the name, but we would figure out a new one because he was already very
special in just a few minutes of visiting.
One of the things I seem to be somewhat good at is naming
things...connecting context to a name. We knew that part of Nicolay's AKC
formal name had to be Lamar's...the name of Gayle's kennel. After
that, we could come up with the rest of it. We agreed that our goal for this
dog was that he become a top show dog, and hopefully famous in that way.
Probably more than a little ambitious on our part since we were beginners...but
why shoot low? So we decided on Lamar's Journey to Fame. We
also have a son, Stewart, in the acting business. Any journey to fame
in that profession usually winds up in Hollywood. So our new puppy’s every-day name would
be a form of Hollywood...and so he became Woody. We took a long road
to get there, but it seemed to fit.
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So, we made the decision, difficult as it was, to send him out on the
road with the wonderful dog trainer/handler Joyce Standish of Nebraska.
She was, and still is, a well-respected and highly-successful show-dog handler
who we came to know at our early-on shows. Not only that, but she was one of
the more approachable and outgoing people in that profession. We needed her
friendship, guidance and expertise at that time…and so did Woody. We knew our
little guy, who had already become a wonderful companion and pet dog for us,
would have to be turned over to Joyce for at least several weeks, and perhaps
months, for him to gain his championship. But we knew he had it in him. Handing
him off to go away like that was akin to seeing your first-born go off to
college. Tears flowed.
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Next up was bringing Hollywood back home. Barb and I couldn’t wait.
But we were also a little worried about the way he would react to us after two
months on the road. Joyce had become his new “master” and would have him at a
show in Omaha where she was going to be handling other dogs. We decided to
drive up to retrieve our new champion. It was a long weekend trip…getting there
on a Saturday…staying the night…and then going to the show Sunday to pick up
Woody. How would he be? Did he forget us? Would he be the same boy we had sent
out with Joyce two months before?
When we arrived at the Omaha convention center, Joyce was busy
elsewhere. But we found the area where she was set up and found the kennel in
which our boy was staying. When Joyce came over to get him out so we could
greet him, our worst fears were realized. For an agonizing length of time, he
didn’t know us…apparently didn’t remember his former parents. Actually, it was
only agonizing for Barb and me because it was only 15 or 20 seconds before his
eyes lit up and he started jumping and squealing with excitement at seeing us.
We both had moist eyes as we couldn’t wait to get our new champion back home. We
will be forever grateful to Joyce for taking such great care of Woody…and, of
course, making him a champion.
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After gaining his championship, we decided that pursuing further
recognition for Woody in the show-dog world would not be in the cards. He,
instead, would be the cover boy for our business cards, website, and other
marketing of our show-dog hobby. He also became a fierce protector of the house
and its occupants; barking at all potential intruders, mostly squirrels, that
might be in his line of sight from the patio doors in our kitchen. Of course he
also led the charge when it came to warning anyone who rang the doorbell. He was
definitely “the leader of the pack”. Our pack has alternated between 6 and 8
chihuahuas through the years since we began our hobby. They live, breathe, eat
and sleep with us in our Millstadt home. Crazy? Maybe, but we love it.
Most chihuahuas, and other smaller dogs, can live to be upwards of
20 years old. Unfortunately for him, and most definitely for us, Woody would not be with
us more than 10-plus years. In late 2019, he began regurgitating for some
unknown reason, mostly at night, or in the early morning. Trips to our terrific
veterinarian Dr. Mike Harres did not reveal any specific cause other than
possibly a case of mild gastritis. We tried some medications for his stomach
that seemed to work at times, but the problem persisted. Other than the
occasional bellyache for him, and clean-up job for us, Woody seemed to be happy and enjoying normal life.
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I believe that the lives of our domesticated animals are a gift from God that provide milestones in one's own life. They provide context to remind you of the good and difficult times in which they participated. They also provide examples of how to treat others, and how others should be treated. They brighten your life at the exact times when you most need comfort. The ten-and-a-half years that Woody was with us were great ones for Barb and I; and he was a major player in that belief.
So, as to the earlier statement…”It’s just a dog”, I ask you..What
sort of creature will:
-Greet you with wild excitement whenever you come home after being
away?
-Fiercely protect you against all potential threats, no matter the
size?
-Know exactly what time to wake you in the morning…every day
without fail?
-Excitedly grab a toy and romp with it every time you say it’s time to go
outside?
-Take walks by your side with tail wagging uncontrollably?
-Sense when you’re unhappy and cuddle next to you to make it
better?
-Be willing to obey your every command just because it’s you who’s
commanding?
-Give you that special smile and bright face just to be near you
at all times?
-And gently lick your face before bedtime every night?
Well…It’s just a dog…and, for us, his name was Woody.
Enjoy the treats in heaven until we see you again little man!
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